The patent literature is doubtless replete with numerous compactors and balers wherein a vertical ram compacts material within a compactor or baling chamber. For waste compactors these machines are often manually fed. That is, cardboard boxes and the like are often placed into the compaction chamber manually. Little experience was necessary to determine that the operator of these devices needed guard screens and doors placed thereon to prevent entanglement and injury in the compactors. Even with the advent of guards and interlocks, however, there persists a number of operators who have managed to overcome the safety features of the compactor and thus have received injury. In the past, such injuries have commonly been occasioned by the operator opening the guard door to adjust the material or add to the material after he has actuated the ram sequence. In other situations, the safety interlocks have required numerous coincident switch closures and the operators have shortwired these to avoid closing all of the protective doors and guards. Accordingly, there exists a need for an interlock and guard door which provides greater protection to the user of the machinery.